Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
PARALLEL / TANDEM
These two words have somewhat opposite meanings in that parallel refers to things that are side by side whereas tandem refers to those that are one behind the other. The adjective parallel means extending in the same direction, always the same distance apart and never meeting. The adjective tandem describes something with parts that are positioned one behind the other.
People sometimes say certain things are “in tandem” when what they really mean is that they are parallel. A tandem bicycle has two seats, one behind the other. Train tracks, on the other hand, are parallel–or at least we hope so!
INCORRECT: The rails on that train track are in tandem.
CORRECT: The rails on that train track are parallel.
ALSO CORRECT: Those train cars are linked together in tandem.
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